Well about 2am your time (GMT) I will be boarding a train equipped with a dealers trade plates, handful of tools and a litre of LHM to spend almost 4 hours heading south on a mercy mission.
I heard of a BX 19Tri 122 Estate (automatic) that was heading for the scrappers following an accident that left it with a wounded front guard.
It has apparently been owned by this guy for a few years and has done about 220K klms, had $1400 spent on the air/con a year or so back, has a couple of dodgy spots on the paint besides the banged up guard but is supposedly mechanically sound and been regularly serviced by a local specialist (that's the worrying part) and I'm buying sight unseen.
Living as I do, a million miles from the nearest Cit owner, I have to become almost a psychiatrist when buying cars by trying to assess the car by the owner which in this case was a task in itself as I had to speak to him on a mobile in peak hour traffic in a bad signal area, but I have manged to get a friend of mine give it a quick once over so I'll give it a punt as I think once I've restored it, I have a family friend (already a BX owner) looking for something to use as a shopping trolley and weekend bike carrier, so hopefully, if I don't fall in love with it, I won't have it long.
I really do hope the air/con is working as well as BX air/con usually works as they reckon it will be 37 down there today with it topping 40 in at least one area I have to travel back through.
For the record, I have got it for = 200 UK pounds with no RWC (MOT) and no rego (Tax) which by Aussie standards is pretty cheap.
If I can organise a few pics, I'll try to get them posted.

Alan S

By the time you're old enough to know it all, you can't remember why you were learning.

I'm in the process of sending some pics but as I'm still on dial up, a system installed by Captain Cook in 1770, I might be back home before they download; I've been downloading for 20 minutes so far and still nowhere near there, but the "recipient" I hope can load them onto somewhere and post them for me or I'd be here for the next week.
I trust he has ADSL or broadband of some description.
It photographs well.

Alan S

By the time you're old enough to know it all, you can't remember why you were learning.

AlanS wrote:I'm in the process of sending some pics but as I'm still on dial up, a system installed by Captain Cook in 1770, I might be back home before they download; I've been downloading for 20 minutes so far and still nowhere near there, but the "recipient" I hope can load them onto somewhere and post them for me or I'd be here for the next week.
I trust he has ADSL or broadband of some description.
It photographs well.

Alan S

Alan - if you ever get stuck you can email or snail mail them me and I will resize, and host on the net for you.

Right, I'm back.
Not as many probs as I thought there might have been. Coolant a bit low, topped up, oil pretty right, ATF right level but by the time I've gone 100 yards it's obviously wrong fluid.
Engine wouldn't idle, so a few minutes adjusting things hither and thither soon sorted that. Fuel tank was 3/4 full (this things getting cheaper by the minute) but engine is as sweet as a nut...beeeeudiful!! Transmission seems in good nick apart from buckjumping occasionally thet the correct fluid and a bit of adjustment should fix.
Performance? Unbelieveable. It has the 122 horsepower engine in it and it goes like the clappers.
Air/con works well to the upper part of the body; it seems someone has busted the temp control so it's frozen titties and scorched kneecaps as it gets cold at the top and hot as the hobs of hades at the lower section.
I collect the replacement mudguard in the morning which I'll have to paint as well as the hood; it's ugly as is the black on the window surrounds.
Performance overall, well, I left Brisbane at 5.55pm and arrived home around 330 klms away at 9.10 pm, so 330 klms in 3 hours 15 minutes isn't too bad, particularly as the first 30 were in central Brisbane and traffic lights everywhere as well as thick traffic, I stopped to fill up with fuel and the majority of the open road driving was in 100 kph speed limit area.
Taken the boys for a ride and all were impressed. Question now being asked is why did the "specialist" tell this guy that it was a 'parts car' and only fit for scavenging a few bits off? Methinks dirty work at the crossroads. Best bit is, there's another that's not going to the scrappers or be flogged off for a cheapy shopping trolley.
It possibly may go on the market when I get it finished but as someone's pride and joy, not a roughy.
Hopefully pics are a coming!!

Alan S

By the time you're old enough to know it all, you can't remember why you were learning.

Well, after spending two days cutting grass, trimming trees, repairing mowers and brusghcutters and poisoning off all the rest of the weeds, I eventually got started on the beast tonight.
If anyone has never pulled the front panels off a BX, you'll be amazed when you do and ask yourself why you spent all that time cleaning underguards and trying to prevent rust when you could have easily just whipped them off.
The boys went out to start one of their mates cars and by the time they got back, around 30 - 45 minutes, I'd removed both head lights and parkers, removed the front bumper and grille and removed the drivers side mudguard.
What a nice little revelation this was; wires leading into the loom just cut, inner guard panels been removed but not replaced and the usual array of what we get used to seeing with these specialist and dealer serviced cars. Cambelt cover looks like it's never been off and they've been playing inside the AFM; that's gotta be a worry.
Things should quieten down again for a couple of days until I get the paint mixed and panels prepared, cambelt fitted, injectors removed and new kits fitted and the auto flushed out and refilled as well as the engine and an oil filter. Service struts, regas spheres, new set of tyres, new plugs and remove the air filter and service and fit new filter. New tyres ordered today and I have to dig a radio up for it somewhere.
Slide control for the air/con is broken, so it needs to be reglued. A new oil filter switch described by the specialist as "a major oil leak that will mean the engine has to come out to fix it" which I should sort in about 5 minutes if it gives me trouble.

Pics I am led to believe are still coming once they've been shrunk, but as I'm dead on my feet now, I'm orf ta bed.

Seeya

Alan S

By the time you're old enough to know it all, you can't remember why you were learning.

Front driving side guard is a total mess and irrepairable so will be replaced. I've got access to one that's being broken at the moment that I hope the inner guards are still there as well as a couple of clips and things associated with the front bumper mount.
It photographs well but up close, the paint is pretty well shagged all over the top and annoying things like missing mounts for the rear shelf that has 2 bad effects; the shelf kinda floats around and it rattles, but I've overcome that one by finding a spare set of half complete ones. (I often wonder if they came broken from the factory.)
At present I'm being described as being like a pregnant woman 2 days before she goes into hospital; getting a bad dose of the "busies." (And you lot thought I was going to make some reference to my beer gut didn't you?)

Alan S

By the time you're old enough to know it all, you can't remember why you were learning.